This rare example of a medieval yoroi is characterized by a cuirass that wraps around the body and is closed by a separate panel (waidate) on the right side and by a deep four-sided skirt. In use from around the tenth to the fourteenth century, yoroi were generally worn by warriors on horseback.
This armor was originally laced in white silk and had diagonal bands of multicolored lacings at the edges of the skirt and the now-missing sode (shoulder guards). The colored lacings symbolized the rainbow, which represented both good fortune and fleeting beauty. The breastplate is covered with stenciled leather bearing the image of the powerful Buddhist deity Fudo Myo-o, whose fierce mien and attributes of calmness and inner strength were highly prized by samurai. The helmet, long associated with this armor, dates from the mid-fourteenth century.
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 8.9-9 megathrust earthquake off the north eastern coast of Japan triggered a large tsunami, with wave heights reaching up to 10m. These two events caused widespread devastation and destruction in Japan, including washing away entire cities as well as damaging the country's nuclear power plants, thus causing potential meltdowns.
Ancient Japan : Japans geography starts with its mountainous islands country of East Asia. The sea has provided both transportation and protection for the people in Japan. During the Heian period, the Japanese built a new capital and began to develop a distinctive culture. Warriors called samurai and military leaders called shoguns took control from the emperor. The shoguns eventually closed Japan to outsiders because they felt a little empowered around them
Armor, 1185 - 1333 :
This rare example of a medieval yoroi is characterized by a cuirass that wraps around the body and is closed by a separate panel (waidate) on the right side and by a deep four-sided skirt. In use from around the tenth to the fourteenth century, yoroi were generally worn by warriors on horseback.
This armor was originally laced in white silk and had diagonal bands of multicolored lacings at the edges of the skirt and the now-missing sode (shoulder guards). The colored lacings symbolized the rainbow, which represented both good fortune and fleeting beauty. The breastplate is covered with stenciled leather bearing the image of the powerful Buddhist deity Fudo Myo-o, whose fierce mien and attributes of calmness and inner strength were highly prized by samurai. The helmet, long associated with this armor, dates from the mid-fourteenth century.
Source: Armor (yoroi) [Japanese] (14.100.121) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Current Event :
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 8.9-9 megathrust earthquake off the north eastern coast of Japan triggered a large tsunami, with wave heights reaching up to 10m. These two events caused widespread devastation and destruction in Japan, including washing away entire cities as well as damaging the country's nuclear power plants, thus causing potential meltdowns.
Ancient Japan :
Japans geography starts with its mountainous islands country of East Asia. The sea has provided both transportation and protection for the people in Japan. During the Heian period, the Japanese built a new capital and began to develop a distinctive culture. Warriors called samurai and military leaders called shoguns took control from the emperor. The shoguns eventually closed Japan to outsiders because they felt a little empowered around them